


A Practice In Futility

by zimothy (orphan_account)



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alpha!Charles, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Body Worship, Emotionally Crippled Erik Is Fun To Read, M/M, Soul Bond, Soulmates, This will give you feels, Underage Character, Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-02-24
Updated: 2012-02-24
Packaged: 2017-10-31 16:34:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/346194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/zimothy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At age 29, Erik had long ago accepted that he would never find his Alpha…. until 16 year old Charles Xavier is admitted into ER one night during a double-shift that Erik wasn’t even supposed to work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Practice In Futility

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LustMonster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LustMonster/gifts).



“I need you to take my shift tonight.” Is the one sentence that Erik wished he’d never heard come from the mouth of Emma Frost. This, of course, wasn’t until three hours into his freshly-acquired double when they were wheeling in a 16 year old telepath who’d suffered a self-induced concussion after going through a power flux in his mutation that had knocked out half the people on his block.  
  
The first thing Erik did was confront the mutant girl who’d made the emergency call and had ridden in the ambulance with her brother. She was young - probably no older than thirteen or fourteen - with scaled, sapphire skin and thick red hair tied into a sloppy ponytail. “Can you fill this out? I need you to write down your brother’s mutation, danger level, and mate status.” He held up a clipboard and a pen, crouching down in front of the teary-eyed young teenager.  
  
The girl sniffed loudly, wiping her nose with the back of her hand and shrugging pathetically. “I can try,” She croaked, taking the tissue that Erik pulled out of his pocket and cleaning her hand and then her face with it. Erik rested the clipboard on her bony knees, grinning in an attempt at reassuring the girl.  
  
“That’s all I need from you, just as much as you can tell us. My name’s Erik. I’m a mutant, too. I work here so I can help kids like you and your brother when your powers show up or get stronger.” He said softly, using his powers to float the pen from his hand and into hers - happy to note the way her anxiety started to bleed away just the tiniest bit at the distraction while the other nurses got her brother situated. They needed to find out about his parents, first and foremost, as well as pull up any records on his mutation before he regained consciousness.  
  
“I’m Raven.” The girl said quietly, picking up the pen and clicking it as she started to write, “My brother’s name is Charles…” She wrote this down as well when Erik gestured to the paper, smiling at him before she reached into her pocket to pull out a cell phone and start scrolling through her contact list.  
  
Erik stood, ruffling Raven’s hair before he made his way through the doors and towards where they’d brought the telepath. He slipped into the small room with the single hospital cot and an array of different machines, watching Azazel and Janos hooking Charles up to a telepathy monitor and striding over to the machine to check the readings as they flickered on screen.  
  
“He’s jumped to Omega level.” Erik muttered, eyebrows shooting up into his hairline in a moment of surprise. “It would explain why he took out half the block with him.” This was said under his breath as he pressed a few buttons to bring up brain activity.  
  
“Can you go pick up the paperwork from his sister?” Erik glanced up at Janos, gesturing to the waiting room. “If he wakes up and he’s already bonded, it’d be good for his bondmate to be here and help calm him.” Normally, Erik wouldn’t bother to explain as much, but Janos had only dealt with a few other mutants since starting at the hospital, so it was good to drill such practices into his head for the nights that Erik wasn’t working.  
  
In retrospect, Erik wished he’d asked Raven about Charles’ mate status before bothering to even come into the room. After hitting his 26th birthday without hide nor hair of his Alpha, Erik had come to the conclusion that his Alpha must have died before they’d ever met - leaving him unbonded and alone for the remainder of his life. Now that he was nearly 29, Erik had accepted his lack of mate in stride and continued every day without ever expecting to find his Alpha.  
  
Which was one of the reasons that he very nearly went into cardiac arrest when Charles’ brain activity spiked with consciousness and Erik’s own chest started to burn with the beginnings of imprinting.  
  
“Azazel!” He gasped, stumbling back from the telepathy monitor and digging a hand into the pocket of his scrubs for the thin sliver of metal used to block telepaths. Azazel’s head snapped up from where he was adjusting the IV drip, eyes going wide and nostrils flaring at the spike of hormones that were no-doubt filling the room.  
  
 _/minebondedfoundmate **mine** /_ the words were a rushing litany in Erik’s head, every single nerve in his body giving a sharp tug as Charles’ eyes flickered open as his mind and heart searched for his mate’s - for Erik’s.  
  
 Erik wrapped the metal telepathy band around his head, mind shutting off completely from Charles as he stumbled out of the room - struggling to remember to breathe.  
  
His knees hit the ground as pain shot through his body, echoing in unison with the scream that came from Charles’ room. Erik’s fingers clutched the handle of the door, metal crunching in his palm as his chest flared with the agony of an incomplete imprinting. He watched in horror as half the nurses in the ER collapsed, only a small handful of them grabbing their telepathy bands in time to stop the oncome of Charles’ fit.  
  
“Lensherr!” Azazel burst out of Charles’ room, nearly tripping over Erik’s crouching form and stumbling to a stop. “His powers are going mad! You must administer suppressant!” He cried, “I do not know doses for children!”  
  
Erik heaved for air, choking on a sob and shaking his head, “Alpha!” He croaked, reaching out for Azazel’s hand and using it to haul himself to his feet. Charles’ rage, his need and pain were bombarding Erik relentlessly, begging for his Omega to return, pleading to finish the bond and for them to be together. It was hard to focus through everything, to remember all of the training he’d undergone - to remember talk about how painful an unfinished bond could be if the imprinting process was interrupted.  
  
 ”He’s my Alpha…” He wasn’t just Erik’s Alpha - he was a patient, a child who wasn’t even of legal age, and an Omega level telepath who was currently going mad with the need to imprint and bond with his mate.  
  
Azazel cursed under his breath, hands cupping Erik’s elbows to keep him steady. “You must finish imprinting.” He ordered, forcing Erik to turn and face the door that muffled his Alpha’s pained cries. Erik shook his head, panicking and pressing back against Azazel.  
  
“I can’t!” He hissed, “He’s a child! A patient!” It broke so many regulations, both legal and hospital ones that Erik was sure even the laws of bondmates couldn’t override. It took every ounce of willpower not to open that door and kneel at the bed, to let that child - his Alpha - run small hands through Erik’s hair, to connect their minds and souls and finish a bond that Erik had been waiting nearly thirty years to experience.  
  
Azazel gave him another shove, and Erik grabbed at the door frames to keep himself from being pushed inside (his uncontrolled grip on the handle moments before had broken the latch, needing only a firm push to open the door) as Erik practically _felt_ his Alpha struggle against the mandatory restraints that kept him tied to the bed.  
  
“Erik! Erik, _please_!” Charles sobbed, startling Erik into allowing Azazel to shove him inside of the room. Erik fell to his hands and knees not five feet from Charles’ bed, breath leaving him in a gasp as he felt the bond pulling at him. Charles had only touched his mind for a few seconds, yet it seemed that had been long enough to at least learn the name of his mate.  
  
What else could Charles do, given the chance?

  
“Finish imprinting, but do not bond. I will get Dr. Shaw.” Azazel snapped, grabbing Erik by the bicep and hauling him up with a rough tug. Erik shouted in protest, gasping when he was thrown against the bed, arm brushing the fingers of Charles’ hand. Charles twisted, tugging at the restraints on his wrist to try and touch as much of Erik as possible. Erik couldn’t really do much else than intertwine their fingers, relief crushing him as his every pore was filled with a warmth unlike any other.

There was a crack of air and a burst of sulfur as Azazel disappeared. Erik drew in a shuddering breath, forcing his eyes open as Charles squeezed his hand insistently.

“Erik - ” Charles croaked, gaze wide and watery as it locked with Erik’s. Erik felt his heart freeze in his chest, knees weakening with the desire to bend in submission against that imploring stare. “Erik- the inhibitor…  _please_.”  
Erik looked away, leaning forward to press his forehead against Charles’ knee.

“I’m sorry, I _can’t._ You’re just a child.” He whispered weakly, already trying to avoid the ache that came with directly disobeying a request from his Alpha. Charles keened, restraints clacking as he tried to reach for Erik, lifting the leg with Erik’s head on it it to try and coax it closer to his hand. Erik sat back until the only thing left connecting them was Charles’ death grip on his palm, exhaling weakly.

  
“I’m not a child! The b-bond age for telepaths is sixteen!” Charles protested, nails digging into the back of Erik’s hand. Unsure as to whether or not Charles’ new bit of information was true or not, Erik reached up with his free hand and ran it through his hair, narrowly avoiding knocking off the telepathy band. Charles inhaled sharply at the action, shifting and almost crushing Erik’s hand in his grasp.

  
“You don’t believe me?” Charles breathed. Erik shook his head, leaning forward unconsciously in a bowing motion before he forced himself to straighten - ignoring the pained sound it seemed to force from Charles. He pressed his palm to his face, every nerve in his body screaming at him to break the metal in Charles’ restraints and free his bondmate, to crawl on the bed until he was all-but surrounded by the boy.

  
There was a loud crack and another bursting scent of sulfur as Azazel reappeared with Dr. Shaw.

  
“Lehnsherr!” Shaw snapped, “Get out. Call your Alpha’s parents. I don’t want either of you touching until we have explicit permission from his guardians to complete the bonding. I’ll not have any lawsuits on my hand!”

  
Erik scrambled to his feet, wincing when the action of prying his hand out of Charles’ caused the teen’s nails to scrape against his skin - leaving red welts in their place. Charles shouted, tugging at his restraints and writhing against the bed.

  
“No!” Charles cried, groaning as the bed started to creak from his frantic movements. “I’m a t-telepath! I’m of legal consent! Bring him back!” His yells grew in tandem as Azazel reached out to grab Erik’s wrist, helping usher the other man out. Charles’ desperation turned angry, a snarl coming into his voice. “Let him go! Erik! Erik, **_to me!”_**

  
Erik froze, something deep in his spine stopping all movement at the utter command in his Alpha’s voice.

  
“Erik!” Shaw snapped, sighing in aggravation not a second later whenever Erik still couldn’t force himself to move. “Azazel, get him out of here before he makes a mockery of this entire facility.”  
  
“Erik!” Charles shouted, his voice nearly drowning out Shaw’s as Azazel moved behind Erik to shove him out the door. “Erik, come back!” Erik glanced over his shoulder, chest tight and eyes wide as Dr. Shaw went about hooking up a sedative to Charles’ IV.

  
Erik was torn, split between the desire to obey orders from Shaw, and to run back to Charles’ side and complete the bond. Azazel made the choice for him, giving Erik a forceful push that had him out the doorway and hidden from Charles’ line of sight.  
  
“Control yourself!” Azazel hissed, practically dragging Erik down the hall and towards the nurse’s desk. “You’ve gone your entire life without him, you can wait a few more hours!”  
  
“Let go of me!” Erik snarled, jerking himself out of Azazel’s hands. Azazel took a step back, palms up to let Erik know that he wouldn’t touch him - but he wasn’t going to let Erik go back to his Alpha. Erik, body tense, stalked the rest of the way to the nurse’s desk after taking special care to walk around the unconscious body of an intern who hadn’t put on her inhibitor in time. He glanced around, growling when he saw no sign of Janos, and headed for the waiting room.  
  
It seemed as though Charles’ burst of telepathy hadn’t extended too terribly far - everyone in the waiting room was conscious and oblivious as to what had happened. He caught sight of Raven and Janos talking quietly in the corner of the room and made his way over, taking off his inhibitor and slipping it in his pocket. He could feel Charles in the back of his mind - fuzzy and slow with sedation, and had to control the itching sensation in his skin to run straight back all the way to Charles’ room. He cleared his throat, alerting the two before him of his presence.  
  
Raven’s head snapped up, eyes wide and worried. “Is my brother okay?” She blurted, hands clutching the clipboard she’d yet to finish filling out. Erik exhaled the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding in, one hand rising to rub the back of his neck.  
  
“We need to contact your parents.” He said quietly, which had been the wrong thing to say as Raven gasped and dropped the clipboard to clasp her hands over her mouth. Erik shook his head quickly, palms flying out to stop her from panicking. “He’s okay he’s- uh… ” Erik trailed off, jaw tensing as he tried to figure out the most polite way of wording the situation.  
  
“We need their permission to allow him to bond to his Omega.”  He settled on, ignoring the way Janos’ eyes widened in surprise and Raven leapt to her feet.  
  
“His _Omega_?!” She cried, bending down to pick up the clipboard and pen and shove them into Janos’ startled arms. “Here? She or he? Where? Can I meet them? Mother and father - they’re out of town - but he’s a telepath. If you still need consent, I’m sure  a phone call would be just fine. The doctors told us when his powers manifested that the age of consent for  telepath is sixteen.”  She rambled, stepping closer and closer until Erik was worried the girl was going to climb him and try to rip the answers right out of his throat.  
  
He stepped back, gesturing for Janos. “Call Logan, ask him about the consent age for telepaths, and then get the kid’s parents on the phone.” He said softly, already feeling sympathetic that he was sending an intern to wake up the world’s grouchiest bond specialist that they had on call. He turned back to Raven as Janos left, gesturing for her to have a seat as he took the chair next to her.  
  
“I’m his Omega,” he began awkwardly, hand lifting to silence Raven’s questions before they’d completely left her mouth. “Your brother imprinted on me before I could stop him - but we haven’t bonded. We won’t bond until my boss knows that there will be no legal repercussions for allowing it.” He paused, clearing his throat and trying not to snap at the girl for holding so much pity in her young eyes. Instead, he watched Janos approach the nurse’s desk in the waiting room to use their phone.  
  
He turned back, staring at Raven with a serious, pleading expression. “I need you to tell me everything you can about him - _please_.”

 

[x]

 

Fifteen years ago, Erik’s powers had manifested after waking up from a coma to find that the car accident he’d been in had killed his mother - but his dormant mutation had saved his own life. None of the nurses had known what to do, or how to stop Erik’s anguish and rage. He’d destroyed almost an entire hallway before they’d been able to sedate him properly. It had taken two days to find a specialist to help Erik cope, not only with his grief, but with his newfound powers.  
  
It hadn’t taken much for Erik to decide that he never wanted another child to suffer through that confusion and self-doubt again, not if he could help it. Mutant specialists were rare in hospitals, even more so in the ER - which was why Erik had been eager to jump on the training as well as undergo painstaking hours as an intern to go through the gratification that came with meeting and helping so many young mutants as he had.  
  
It was appalling how many children and adolescents spent their first few hours after discovering a new mutation being admitted into the hospital, hearts and minds wrought with pain and fear - not only for themselves, but for others.  
  
Even now, listening to Raven talk, Erik couldn’t help but be grateful that he’d - albeit begrudgingly - taken Emma’s graveyard shift. Initially, it had been because of her begging, and possibly the opportunity to help a possible mutant-in-need.  
  
Now, Erik was so overwhelmed that he could hardly fathom the idea that he’d found his Alpha on such a mundane, routine night - let alone the fact that his Alpha was barely on the cusp of adulthood.  
  
In the time it took Janos to get ahold of Logan and call Charles’ parents, Erik had learned that his Alpha was sixteen — nearly seventeen — and would be graduating at the end of the school year with full scholarships to his University of choice. Charles was fascinated with genetics and how the mutation genome worked, and was very strict with his own telepathy to a point where he wouldn’t enter beyond a person’s surface thoughts without explicit, vocal permission.  
  
“His favorite color is green, but he likes to wear blue because he thinks it brings out his eyes. He might seem vain, but he’s insecure. He doesn’t make friends easily - oh, I’m so happy he’s found you. We were worried that he’d spend half his life searching for you,” Raven paused, eyes widening upon realizing that she’d confessed the very fear of something that Erik himself had suffered through. Erik shook his head, gesturing for her to continue nonetheless.  
  
Raven fidgeted, tucking a lock of scarlet hair behind her ear and shrugging. “He likes tea - he’s very British. All of his tutors - before my dad married his mom - were from England. He was homeschooled until our parents got married a few years ago. His first day of High School was really bad…” She trailed off, looking dodgy. “Don’t tell him I told you any of this, please.” She added after moment, yellow eyes wide and pleading.  
  
Erik reached out, clasping her small hand in his own and holding it tightly. “I won’t. You have my word. I’m very grateful for everything you’ve told me, regardless.” He said softly, eyes lifting as Janos approached with Shaw and Azazel in tow. He stood, brushing imaginary dirt from his scrubs and adjusting the stethoscope slung around his neck.  
  
“Lehnsherr, I’m under the impression that your Alpha is the young boy we’ve got sedated in room 13? The one who knocked out half of my staff before I could be brought in to control the situation?” Dr. Shaw asked, his voice flat and leaving no room for argument. Erik nodded, jaw flexing as he clenched it against the need to defend Charles’ actions. Shaw hummed, gesturing lazily to Janos, who handed a sheaf of paper to Erik.  
  
Erik took the pamphlet, eyes widening as he started to read while Dr. Shaw continued speaking.

“The reason that sixteen is the legal age of consent for telepaths is that, once their powers have reached full manifestation - as your Alpha’s, coincidentally, happened to this evening- they are able to control their Omegas more fluidly and process all feelings and emotions on higher level than others of their age.” Shaw reached out, pinching the pamphlet and pulling it from Erik’s grasp.  
  
“However, unless you can find someone to cover the second half of your shift, I’m afraid that -despite the age of consent and the permission we received from your Alpha’s mother - your bonding will have to wait another four hours.” Dr. Shaw paused, flipping the pamphlet open. “We can keep him under sedation and morphine until then, of course. It is of no inconvenience to us. The government covers all bonding-related expenses, you see.”  
Erik’s back remained rigid, muscles so tense that his very bones started to ache. He took a moment to calm his breathing, chest tight with the desire to protest as Dr. Shaw handed the small pamphlet back to Janos.

  
“They’ll wean him off his IV during your last hour. He doesn’t need to be kept for observation, but his parents have given us permission to release him and his sister into your custody after your shift.” He paused, eyes lighting up, “Given that you’re their son’s Omega, I doubt they have any worries for his safety.”  
  
Erik’s fingers curled into half-fists before he forced them to relax and give Shaw a tight smile. Shaw stepped back, yawning loudly and gesturing for Azazel to take his arm.  
  
“However, under no circumstances are you to touch your Alpha until you’re ready to begin the bonding process. I’m sure all those lessons in high school have been forgotten since then, but any physical contact will only encourage the bonding to begin - regardless of where you are or who you’re with.” Having said that, Shaw and Azazel disappeared in a burst of smoke, leaving Janos to fidget awkwardly with the pamphlet in his hand.  
  
Raven stepped up to Erik’s side and Janos reached out to hand over the paper on underage telepaths. Erik snarled, snatching it from his grasp so quickly that the intern nearly jumped out of his skin. Raven, so small and thin, reached out a scaly blue hand to press her fingertips hesitantly against the back of Erik’s wrist.  
  
Startled, Erik looked down at the young teen as she reached out to gingerly take the pamphlet from him. She smiled, teeth startlingly white against navy lips, shoulders bunched in a stance of hesitance.  
  
“So, does that mean you’re my big brother?” She asked quietly, shyly. Erik felt something inside of him give a painful wrench, wanting terribly to know everything about this girl with every fiber of his being. He knew, without a doubt, that she was probably the most important person in his Alpha’s life - which made her someone that Erik himself would come to care about no matter what the circumstance.  
  
He exhaled, reaching up to fidget with his stethoscope. “It would seem so, wouldn’t it?” He said softly and just as unsure as Raven herself had sounded. Raven’s smile was blinding, an excited laugh bubbling from her chest as she held her thin arms out to beckon Erik into a hug.  
  
“Charles says little sisters give the best hugs.” She informed him matter-of-factly, “It looks like you need one.” Her fingers curled in a beckoning motion, barely peeking out past the cuffs of her soft gray pajama top. Erik shifted awkwardly, looking over to see Janos watching with wide eyes. He snarled, teeth flashing and sending the intern skittering off to the nurse’s station before he bent forward awkwardly and allowed Raven to fling her arms around his neck.

“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Raven said into Erik’s neck. Erik rested his hand on the back of her head, petting unruly red hair over the unkempt ponytail and smiling despite himself.  
  
“A little,” he replied gruffly, chuckling whenever Raven huffed and pulled away. He ruffled her hair, grinning wolfishly when she squawked and batted at his hands. “I have to get back to work. Come on, I’ll let you stay with your brother.” True, it was a good excuse to see Charles, but Erik felt better knowing that Raven wasn’t left by herself in the waiting room - even with the nurses sitting at their desk nearby. Raven also seemed happy with this, because she followed closely behind Erik as they headed out of the waiting area towards Charles’ room.

The first thing Erik did was fix the doorknob before he even stepped into the room and then opening it to allow Raven in first before slipping in after her. His nostrils flared, instantly catching Charles’ heady, strong scent that made him want to press his nose against that pale skin and breathe in his very essence.  
  
Instead, Erik crossed the room and filled a small plastic cup with water, slamming it back like a shot and sucking in a slow and pained breath. He set the cup down beside the standard-issue sink, wiping his mouth with the back of his wrist and turning — body locking up completely when his eyes connected with Charles’ drowsy, drug glazed ones.  
  
Charles released a quiet, pained noise, restraints clacking as he tried to reach for Erik. His face contorted into a look of frustration, pupils blown wide when Erik felt a sudden heated desire to approach Charles, mind burning with a new, aching need. He brought a hand up to his breast pocket, reaching for the inhibitor whenever the feeling left him as quickly as it had come on.  
  
“M’sorry,” Charles slurred, blearily watching Erik’s hand fall to his side. “J’st wanna feel you.” His voice was tired, weak with sedatives and morphine pumping through him. Raven approached her brother, pulling the chair up to his bedside and reaching for the straps on his wrists.  
  
“Raven,” Erik barked, wincing when the siblings both looked up at him in surprise. “You can’t - not until…” He broke off, chest tight with this panicking desire to kneel - to apologize for having lashed out at his Alpha’s sister, for having denied his Alpha freedom.  
  
“S’ok…” Charles mumbled, turning to smile at Raven. “M’fine, Raven.”  
  
Erik pressed his palms against his hips, wiping downwards to dry them of clammy, nervous sweat. “I’m sorry, I can’t….” He blurted, wincing. “The.. the withdrawls wouldn’t be so bad if I hadn’t touched you earlier.” He paused, swallowing thickly. “I forgot.” With that, Erik gave them both a weak shrug, sidestepping towards the door.  
  
“Is he in a lot of pain?” Raven asked. Erik paused, tensing as Charles tried to sush his sister. He shook his head.  
  
“He would be, but Dr. Shaw has him on morphine to keep it from being unbearable…” He explained, torn between leaving and stepping closer to Charles’ bedside. Raven took her brother’s hand, withdrawing when Charles hissed in pain.  
  
“His body’s going to be sensitive to contact from anyone until we bond.” Erik paused, trying to wrack his brain for all the lessons he’d gone through during his sophomore year on mate bonding.

  
“I-uhm. It will be better if I’m not here.” Erik explained after moment, practically _feeling_ Charles’ breath give pained hitch. He dropped his gaze submissively, knees creaking with the effort to stay standing as he backed up into the door. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Y’r forgiven, Er’k.” Charles murmured. The wave of relief that hit Erik was like pulling off a noose that he hadn’t even known had been around his chest, lungs expanding with a soft sigh as he looked up to see Raven and Charles staring at each other in a way that must have meant telepathic communication.  
  
“Thank you.” Erik murmured, slipping out the door and taking a moment to regain his resolve. His eyes opened to see Magda - the head nurse for the night and his ex girlfriend - approaching with an exasperated look.  
  
“You still have to do your rounds.” She pointed out, looking between Erik and the door to Charles’ room. “Before two, preferably.”  
  
Erik gave her a small smile, flinching when she rolled her eyes, reaching out to flick his forehead affectionately. He grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “Thank you, Magda.”  
  
She pulled her hand back after a moment, watching him in confusion until he elaborated, “For being there for me, when he couldn’t be.” He reached out, index finger tucking a curl of hair behind her ear and grinning at the way Magda’s eyes softened. She chuckled, leaning up on her toes to kiss Erik’s cheek.  
  
“Go do your rounds, you sap.” She teased, giving his bottom a light smack. Erik laughed, brushing past her and heading towards the nurse’s station to pick up the updated patient list.

It wasn’t long before Erik found himself taking every possible route that would allow him to pass Charles’ room. The third time that Magda caught him hovering nervously outside of his Alpha’s room, however, she wasn’t particularly happy.  
  
“Pediatrics.” Magda snapped, a hand on her hip. Erik, feeling slightly devastated at the mere suggestion, opened his mouth to protest - only for Magda to raise a hand to silence him. “You’re no good to me here, I might as well have you over in pediatrics. Children react better to that sad puppy look you’ve got going on more than ER patients.”  
  
Erik’s mouth fell shut with a ‘click’ of his teeth, jaw flexing with the strength of his clench. Magda stared him down, her stance taking on that of an Alpha as she curled her upper lip back just the tiniest bit. Erik backed down, temporarily surprised at his own defiance. He nodded, head ducking on his way past Magda.  
  
“Send Angel to take your place!” She called out, “I don’t want you back here until - at the most - fifteen minutes before your shift ends!”  
  
Erik’s response was to flash her a glimpse of his middle finger before retreating towards the elevators. Pediatrics was halfway across the hospital - so Erik knew he was being sent there as punishment for shirking his duties. By the time he met Angel and Sean at the nurse’s station, they were expecting him after a call from the ER and Angel was patting his shoulder sympathetically and flouncing off to take his place.  
  
“Does she even have the training to be in the ER?” Erik muttered under his breath, leaning against the desk and resting his chin on the heel of his palm. Sean grunted, glancing up from his PSP and shrugging.  
  
“I don’t think she needs much training to be doing a better job than you probably were, from the sound of it.” He teased. Erik snarled, practically bristling with the sudden desire to strangle Sean.  
  
Sean leaned back into his seat - submitting to the older Omega with a sheepish and crooked grin. Erik huffed in response, grabbing the patient chart off of the desk and lazily flipping through it before pushing himself away to roam the halls and check on each of the children.  
  
He returned to the desk ten minutes later looking haunted, scrubs disheveled and his stethoscope held in a white-knuckled grip - metal ear pieces warped and twisted. Sean glanced up and bit down on a bark of surprised laughter, pausing his game.  
  
“Went to check in on Jason Stryker, didn’t you?” He asked. Erik shakily set his stethoscope down on the desk, reaching up to brush his hair back from his face. Sean leaned down, opening one of the drawers near him and producing a set of play-doh. “Here. He’ll be nice if you play with him. He doesn’t sleep - the chemo makes him irritable. He makes illusions, but they’re intangible.” Sean handed him the play-doh set, trading it for Erik’s broken stethoscope.  
  
Erik eyed the play-doh warily and Sean shrugged. “It isn’t like you have anything better to do.” He pointed out dryly. Erik pulled the clay towards himself, straightened his back in determination, and headed back down the hallway without a single word.  
  
Jason Stryker was a 5 year old cancer patient who - according to the charts and Erik’s current experience - was a menace at night when wrought with boredom and sleep deprivation.  
  
However, the illusion of the scorpion sitting on his bed and snapping at Erik disappeared the second that the play-doh was lifted in an offering of peace. Erik pulled up a chair, grabbing a nearby medical tray and setting it on the bed to use as a table as he pulled out the four different colors of clay to present to the child. Jason immediately snatched the purple and yellow ones, leaving Erik with green and blue. (who chose these colors, anyway?)

-

“Your dragon’s ugly.” Jason informed him fifteen minutes later, staring at Erik’s green dragon with a look of disdain. Miffed, Erik crushed the dragon’s head in his fist and earned a gasp and giggle from the toddler before he started to ball up the clay and reshape it into something else.  
  
“Your penguin looks stupid.” Erik replied petulantly, pointing to the hideously mashed blob of yellow and purple that Jason was rolling round. Beetles started to pour out from his green clay ball and Erik reflexively smashed at one before realizing that was another one of Jason’s illusions.  
  
Jason grinned, all cheeks and missing teeth, “Gotcha again.” He said quietly. Erik sneered, taking a handful of green play-doh and smushing it into the child’s cheek. Jason yelped, laughing and grabbing his brightly-colored penguin blob to swing at Erik like it was a sword of some sort. Erik blocked him with an elbow, grinning despite his best efforts not to, and leaning back to hold both hands up in a gesture of peace.  
  
“Okay, okay!” He relented, “We don’t want to wake anyone up.” As he spoke, Erik brought a finger to his lips and mimed a shushing motion. Jason mimicked him with his play-doh creation, pausing and licking at it when he realized it had a distinctly salty flavor. Erik shook his head in exasperation.  
  
“Lets make a castle.” He offered, reaching out to take the clay. Jason perked up at the idea, an illusion of a fortress appearing before them made of bright colors and littered with flags at every tower.  
  
Erik, impressed, set down a mound of green where one of the towers was, causing the play-doh to go straight through it. “Yeah, that’s a great idea.”  
  
Jason took the purple container and scooped out a handful of clay as the two of them got to work.  
  
A half hour before the end of Erik’s shift, Jason was starting to succumb to sleepiness with droopy eyes and grumpy, long yawns of fatigue. Erik tucked him in with little protest, putting away the play-doh and carrying it out to the nurse’s station to see Sean still heavily engrossed in his PSP game.  
  
“So, its almost four in the morning. Think your Alpha’s gonna fall asleep during the bonding?” Sean asked, looking up with a smirk. Erik narrowed his eyes and Sean quickly returned to his game with a halfhearted shrug. “He’s still a kid, is all.” The younger nurse added under his breath.  
  
“I’m heading back to ER.” Erik snapped, reaching over the desk to drop off the play-doh and grab his stethoscope. He took a moment to smooth out the kinks in the metal, returning it to its original state before slinging it behind his neck once more. Sean huffed, looking as if he almost wanted to protest and then deciding against it.  
  
“Tell Magda you knocked me unconscious because I wouldn’t let you leave early, okay?” He asked. Erik snorted, pushing away from the nurse’s station and making a beeline down the corridor.  
  
The first thing Magda did when she spotted Erik stepping off of the elevators was to check the time on her cell phone and smirk. “Fifteen minutes exactly, Erik? I’m impressed.”  
  
Erik gave her an expectant look, which was all he really needed to do for Magda to sigh dramatically. “Fine. You can clock out early. Get Janos to help you bring your Alpha to your car. We only took him off the medication an hour ago so he’s going to need a wheelchair and you can’t tou- hey!” Magda cut herself off with a shout as Erik practically power-walked towards Charles’ room, stopping only to detour and grab Janos from where he was lounging by the nurse’s station.  
  
He knocked on the door brusquely and opened it with slow creak, peeking in to see Raven halfway out of her seat, draped over the lower portion of Charles’ bed and sleeping soundly. Charles’ stirred first, inhaling sharply through his nose as his eyes flickered open to turn and stare at Erik.  
  
Erik gave Charles a small grin as Janos pushed the wheelchair into the hospital room. The creaking of the wheels was enough to wake Raven as she sat up with a sleepy snuffling noise, reaching for Charles’ hand reflexively and then glancing around to smile brightly at Erik and Janos.  
  
“Are we going home?” She asked tiredly.

Erik wasn’t sure what to say - an uncomfortable ache stirring inside of him at the idea that these children would accept him so readily into their home. He felt a warm, calming sensation wash over him as Charles smiled brightly, watching Janos approach to unlock his restraints from the bed.  
  
“Yeah, I’m gonna take you guys home.” Erik said as Raven stood and stretched with a yawn. She reached up, pulling out her ponytail and using her fingers to fix her hair before retying it.  
  
“Well, its your home too. I’m sure our house is bigger than yours, and our parents won’t be back for another month.” She said, glancing over at Charles as if to ask for silent permission. Charles sat up tiredly, wincing and rubbing the red rings of worn skin around his wrists, nodding in agreement.  
  
“I won’t go into your mind, Erik — not without your permission — but I want you to know that you’re welcome with us any time you’d like. You’re mine, and I’m yours, so I think that should extend to our homes and belongings, yes?” Charles asked timidly, trying to fix his mussed hair into something more presentable. Erik shifted, breathing in slowly and nodding after a moment.  
  
“You’re very mature for your age.” He pointed out. Charles lifted his head up in surprise, smiling softly - his eyes so bright that Erik was taken aback for a moment. Charles shrugged, ducking his head for a moment and then peeking up at Erik through his bangs with a gentle, personal smile.  
  
“The advantage to being a telepath is that you’re forced to learn how many others think and feel before you can really learn how to control your powers. It happens to be a very maturing process.” He explained, watching Janos lower the rails on the bed so Charles could transfer to the wheelchair. He scowled, confused when the intern held out a hand to help him.  
  
“Couldn’t Erik help?” He requested. Erik very nearly pressed himself up against the wall to fight the desire to give into that innocent, confused furrow of Charles’ brow. It did things like make Erik want to scoop the boy up and carry him bodily out to the car - if that’s what Charles wished.  
  
Janos shook his head, cupping his hand under Charles’ elbow to help him climb out of the bed and flop into the wheelchair. Erik reached up to fidget with his stethoscope - just to keep his hands occupied- and exhaled painfully. “I can’t touch you until we’re …. ready to bond.” He explained weakly, eyes focused on the ground and ears hot. “Self-control would become an issue…” he murmured as an afterthought.  
  
Raven made a small noise in the back of her throat that sounded like a nervous, strangled giggle, and started to push Charles’ wheelchair out of the room. Erik nearly tripped over himself to move out of the way when Charles reached out as they passed in an attempt to touch Erik - most likely to reassert the connection in some way - and it tore at him when Charles whipped around in the wheelchair with wide, pained eyes at the action.  
  
“Erik…” Charles croaked, a myriad of expressions crossing his face - emotions all the more raw with the sedatives still in his body - before he settled on acceptance. He drew his lower lip between his teeth, wearing at it for a moment and then releasing it reddened and slicked with saliva. Erik’s gut coiled, heat stirring somewhere low inside of him as Charles’ eyes took on a hooded look of determination.  
  
“When we get home - we’ll bond. I’m going to touch you everywhere and mark you and you’ll do the same to me.” His voice was a low, possessive rumble that was surprising for a sixteen year old - uncaring of his little sister pushing him through the hospital as he stared at Erik over his shoulder.  
  
Erik stumbled over his own feet, feeling the spike of unkempt lust shooting straight through his spine. The muscles in his lower back tensed- breath accelerating and his body instinctively sending out the proper response of pheromones that had Azazel choking on his coffee from behind the nurses desk as they approached it.

“Oh my God, Charles. I did not need to hear that.” Raven snapped, pushing the wheelchair even faster. “Its bad enough that I have to be stuck in the car with you two.” Guilt ate at Erik as he followed two feet behind Raven, understanding how uncomfortable it probably was to be stuck in her situation. Charles watched Erik for another moment, satisfied at the subtle, submissive bow of the older man’s head before he turned around while Raven pushed him out towards the parking lot.  
  
“I need to talk to the head nurse - my car is the gray ‘73 Chevy Nova on the left side. Here,” Erik stepped up, reaching out to hand Raven his keys, “Charles should sit in the back. Bring the wheelchair up to the waiting room when you’re done.”  
  
Raven took the keys, staring at them and then squinting up at Erik with a flat look. “I have no idea what kind of car that is.” She pointed out dryly - her fatigue showing up in the crabbiness of her response to the situation. Erik shifted, unsure of how to describe it, when Charles turned in his wheelchair.  
  
“Erik… if I could… get the image of it from your mind, that would help substantially.” He brought a hand up, fingers wiggling by his temple. Erik hesitated, but nodded. Charles’ face lit up for a moment, eyes going dark when he pressed two fingers against the side of his head. Erik instantly thought of his car, a warmth trickling through the back of his neck and shooting thrills up and down each vertebrae. He gasped softly, body tensing as heat started to engulf his body, pupils blowing wide and nostrils flaring when they could suddenly pick up nothing but his Alpha’s scent.  
  
“Charles!” Raven snapped, reaching out to whap her brother upside the head. The overwhelming sensation disappeared so abruptly that Erik nearly collapsed at the emptiness left in their wake. Charles hissed, sounding more put out than in actual pain, and dropped his hand. He tore his gaze from Erik’s, staring down at his knees and looking decently shamed.  
  
“My apologies, Erik, Raven,” he choked out quietly, “It seems my self-restraint is not at its best right now….” His thin, blunt fingers curled together on his lap and Erik clenched his jaw and bit the very edge of his tongue to stop the longing burn in his chest that told him to kneel at Charles’ feet to comfort away his Alpha’s guilt.  
  
“Duh,” Raven retorted, grabbing to the back of Charles’ wheelchair to get him moving again. Erik watched them go through the automated doors before he headed back to the inner administration desk, avoiding eye contact with Azazel and stopping in front of Magda.  
  
“I’m going home.” He said slowly, watching her lips curl into a serene smile. “I don’t know what to do,” He added, a sudden panic growing in his chest as the reality of the situation honestly struck him. Azazel, wiping a drop of coffee from his goatee, cleared his throat and disappeared in a puff of smoke.  
  
Magda set her pen down, gesturing for Erik to walk around the desk. Erik did so with a hurried scramble, even kneeling when she motioned for him to do so. She slid her hands into his hair, gripping it firmly. Erik was startled to find that the touch no longer sent a relieving coil of warmth through him like it once had, but just felt uncomfortable - wrong.  
  
“This touch?” Magda began, nails scraping Erik’s scalp and making Erik twitch. “With him, it will be amazing. You will feel safe for the first time in your life - wanted and loved. You’ve finally met your other half, Erik. I can tell you this, don’t be afraid, not of happiness.” Her fingers cupped the back of Erik’s head in a petting caress before they drew back slowly, allowing Erik to lift his head. She sighed fondly, using her thumb to brush the edges of a tear from the bottom of Erik’s lid and then stroking his cheek. Erik sniffed, standing and breaking contact as he forced himself to smile weakly.  
  
Magda grabbed his hand, squeezing it. “Erik, go to him. Take tomorrow off - I’ll find someone to cover your shift. You deserve this, after all you’ve been through.”  
  
Erik’s chest swelled, gratitude, apprehension and excitement nearly overwhelming. He clenched his jaw instead, nodding seriously to Magda. “Thank you, Mags. For everything.” He said, returning the squeeze to her hand before he turned and headed towards the exit.

 

[x]

  
Erik met Raven in the waiting room as she was returning the wheelchair. He smiled thinly, grateful that - if she’d noticed the wetness if his eyes - she said nothing to him to indicate it. Instead, Raven happily awaited his approach and then followed him into the parking lot.  
  
“I need you to watch your brother while I’m driving.” He said softly, taking his keys from Raven when she held them out. Raven gave him a curious look and Erik fidgeted with the keys.  
  
“Too much skin-to-skin contact will trigger the bonding process. We’re already treading thin ice as it is. I won’t be able to keep this up much longer…” He murmured, choking on his breath whenever Raven released a long, understanding ‘ahhh’ and grinned at him impishly.  
  
“And here Charles was worried you didn’t want him.” She said, grin bright as they reached Erik’s car. Erik’s head snapped up, hands fumbling the keys and staring at her dumbly.  
  
“I- pardon?” He choked, dread settling in his gut like a lead weight. Raven shrugged flippantly, giving him an exasperated shake of her head.  
  
“Just ‘cuz he’s a telepath, and your Alpha, doesn’t mean he’s going to understand everything you do.” She pointed out, staring at him with bright yellow eyes that spoke volumes about what she expected Erik to do once they reached the Xavier home. She held his gaze for a moment as Erik floundered for a response before jogging ahead to the car.  
  
He followed after her quickly, getting in and buckling his seatbelt before starting the car with a roar of the engine. He paused, inhaling slowly - unable to stop the flutter of his eyelids upon realizing that being in a confined car had concentrated Charles’ scent. It was like a heady, thick intoxicant and Erik had to roll the windows down before he threw off his seatbelt to climb in the back and completely cover Charles’ small body with his own, just to hold him and breathe him in.  
  
Charles seemed to pick up on some of what his scent was doing to Erik, because there was a soft and strangled sob from the back seat. Erik pulled out of the parking space, turning to look out his rear window and catching Charles’ eyes. He froze, locked in an accidental staring contest that only ended when Charles smiled timidly, face flushed with yearning. Erik returned the expression, looking away as soon as the car was put into drive.  
  
He was silent, at first, a litany of different words, pleas and excuses running through his head. It wasn’t until Raven cleared her throat pointedly that Erik actually spoke up.  
  
“If… you don’t do what you did earlier - we could - share memories, or something?” He said softly, hands gripping the steering wheel. A glance in the rearview mirror showed Charles with wide, intense eyes peering at the back of Erik’s head.  
  
“Erik?” Charles breathed, hesitant, “Are you sure?”  
  
Erik glanced over his shoulder - ignoring the stupid smile on Raven’s face - and shrugged. “It would be an advantage. Most new bondmates take a long time to learn about one another. It would, y’know… Its okay. I’m sure I can take it - just don’t touch the link this time.”  
  
Erik almost slammed on the brakes when he was hit with a burst of hot, lust-coated elation. The feeling withdrew like an undertow tide and Erik exhaled shakily to adjust as Charles stammered his apologies from the back seat.  
  
“I’m so sorry, Erik. I usually have better control, its just, the sedatives and wanting to bond… its very hard. May I try again?”  
  
Erik glanced at him in the rear mirror as Raven directed him to the southbound highway exit. “Slower, please?” He requested. Charles nodded, reaching forward but having his hand intercepted by Raven before he could put a palm on Erik’s shoulder. He looked startled, and then discouraged as he moved to sit back.  
  
“Of course….” His hands came up to his temples, and Erik had ample time to sense Charles’ mind touching his own - creeping in like the scent of fresh cooking wafting in through a window as the first inklings of Charles’ childhood latched to his memories as if they’d been there all along.  
  
It took Erik a long while to filter through all of the new memories. He kept silent, driving as Charles continued to filter the most important things directly into Erik’s mind like he was returning something that had always been missing.  
  
[ _Alone on Christmas next to a tree that his mother had paid someone to decorate/Raven’s mind touching his for the first time - a mutant, his sister - so warm and vibrant./ Kurt’s fists, angry and lashing out because Charles needed to be taught that he was not the head Alpha in his home anymore/Meeting other Alpha boys for the first time, all of them so much bigger and stronger and meaner than Charles- mocking him, mocking the legitimacy of his Alpha status, making lewd jeers and advances that terrified Charles_ ]  
  
Erik clutched the steering wheel, knowing as he saw these things that Charles was drawing on Erik’s own memories.  
  
[ _Fighting with Cain- blood, tooth, and nail, to protect Raven from her own brother’s advances without giving away her mutant disguise of a girl from school - wishing they’d never decided to practice her powers with others home/Using his powers negatively for the first time to force Kurt into sending Cain to boarding school/Fifteen years old and sobbing into Raven’s embrace because he feels so, so alone - terrified that he’d never find his Omega, never find someone to love him as much as Raven, never find someone who wasn’t afraid of his powers_ ]  
  
Erik didn’t realize he’d started crying until Raven lifted a napkin pilfered from the fast food bag on the floor and handed it to him with a knowing, watery smile.  
  
“We’re okay now,” Raven said softly as Erik took the napkin to press it under his eyes and wipe his cheeks, chest aching with these new and somewhat raw experiences. He was silent, as silent as Charles - who sat in the back as if processing what he’d seen in Erik’s mind.  
  
It made Erik wonder - did Charles see the day his parents died? Those terrifying days in the hospital? The years as a teenager that Erik spent on the streets in gangs, selling drugs and attacking any who opposed? Did Charles see the memory of Erik’s first heat- locked in the basement of a foster home, writhing in agony and nearly delirious with fever because his caretakers didn’t want to buy suppressants to make it easier ?  
  
What about Magda? Did Charles see his memories of her? The devastation Erik felt the day she’d found her true Omega, how it reminded him of how alone he really was?  
  
Did he know that Erik was sterile? That, three months ago, he’d volunteered to help a young mutant leaking radioactivity because no one else would willing risk the chance of losing the ability to have children?  
  
“Everything, Erik.” Charles breathed from the back seat, sniffling loudly and choking on a laugh, “They’re all beautiful memories - painful, but beautiful.”  
  
Erik didn’t realize he’d forgotten to breathe until Charles’ words had forced the air out of his chest like a punch to the gut. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, “I didn’t know - “  
  
“Erik.” Charles interrupted, leaning forward with his hands so close to touching Erik that Raven’s firm shove to his chest was a push back to reality. Erik kept his eyes on the highway, hands aching from how tightly they gripped the steering wheel. Subconsciously, he knew where to go now - knew to take the third upcoming exit and all of the turns needed to reach Charles’ and Raven’s home. Westchester.  
  
Charles clutched to the back of Raven’s seat. “Its okay, Erik. I can’t blame you for doing what was needed.” He said quietly. Raven turned, confused, and Erik shook his head.  
  
“I can’t- ” he paused, forcing his breathing to calm, “I’m no good to you.”  
  
Charles gasped, pained, and Raven had to bodily catch his wrists to stop him from grabbing Erik. “Charles- stop!” She hissed, but Charles shook his head furiously.  
  
“Erik, pull over.” He snapped, “Pull over, now.” His voice left no room for argument - despite Raven’s attempts at telling Erik not to listen to her brother.  
  
Erik very nearly slammed on the breaks, easing his car into the slow lane as his entire body shook. His nerves trembled, panic eating away at him. He should’ve known, shouldn’t have pressed the fact that he couldn’t bear children for his Alpha. Charles was going to leave him, going to break the bond somehow and Erik was going to be alone again before he’d had the chance to even grasp the feeling of true companionship.  
  
  
“Erik!” Charles snapped as the car ghosted over the rumble strips. Erik hit the brakes completely, the car jerking as Raven had to bodily climb out of her seat to stop Charles from grabbing for Erik. Erik gasped, throwing the car into park and fumbling with the seatbelt as Charles and Raven fought one another.  
  
“Erik!” Charles yelled again, his voice distraught when Erik threw the door open and stumbled out of the car. “Erik, **_stop_**!”  
  
Erik froze, one hand on the hood for support as Charles pushed his sister down and scrambled from the back seat to the front, trying to get to Erik as quickly as possible. Raven flew out of her own seat, running around the car as Charles reached Erik’s side. She paused, obviously getting some sort of mental message from Charles that kept her from reacting whenever Charles reached up to press his hand against the curve of Erik’s neck and jaw.  
  
Erik gasped, body flashing hot and cold all at once as he was forced to turn and face his Alpha - his small, petite, baby-faced Alpha with wide blue eyes that could see into your very soul.  
  
“Erik, listen to me.” Charles breathed, biting back a groan and reaching up to fully cup Erik’s head, obviously struggling not to do more than that. Erik tensed, hands clenched at his sides when Charles’ eyes fluttered and then locked with his own. “I will always, _always_ want you. You’re beautiful, Erik, and you’ve been through _so much_. I can see so many things inside of you besides all of this pain.” His soft, uncalloused thumbs stroked down Erik’s cheekbones, hovering the edges of Erik’s mouth before tracing the underside of his lower lip.  
  
Erik instinctively reached out, dragging Charles into his long arms that swallowed him into a hug. They both gasped simultaneously, intoxicated by the scent and feel of one another before Charles managed to speak again with his voice muffled by Erik’s collarbone.  
  
“If you want children, I’m sure we can adopt once I’ve graduated.”

  
Erik couldn’t stop the strangled noise of relief that left him, blinded by the feelings of love and acceptance that Charles must have been pushing into his head. He drew back, stepping forward and crowding Charles against the hood of his car - driven by an uncontrollable need.  
  
“Erik?” Charles breathed in confusion, eyes going wide when Erik bent down, catching the confused turn of his lips in a sudden, insistent kiss. Charles sucked a startled breath through his nose, hands sliding back to clutch at Erik’s hair. He whimpered when Erik’s long fingers grabbed the flesh of his thighs just below his ass and hauled him up- slamming him against the upper side of his car.  
  
“Are you kidding me?!” Raven cried in dismay as Erik’s mouth parted, teeth scraping and sucking Charles’ lower lip into his mouth - their breaths mingling heatedly. Charles moaned, one leg lifting to hook behind Erik’s thighs and drag him closer when Erik released his lip with a ‘pop’. Erik’s hands scrambled for the hem of Charles’ shirt -wanting, _needing_ to get closer, to touch him and bond with him and connect in every way possible.  
  
“Hey! Stop that!” Raven cried, extracting a yelp from Erik when she punched him in the shoulder. He snapped his head back, sucking air in like a drowning man and turning to see Raven staring pissily at him with her fist raised for another strike. Charles keened, pawing at Erik’s neck and shoulders to try and tug him into another kiss.  
  
“Huh?” Erik said stupidly, his mind foggy with lust as Charles arched up to kiss the corner of his mouth and nip along his jaw. Raven didn’t seem too happy with this, because she punched Erik’s arm a second time. Erik hissed, jerking back enough that Charles’ teeth bumped painfully against the hinge of his jaw - eliciting a mingled spark of pleasure and pain.  
  
“Get off him! You can’t bond on the hood of a car on the highway!” Raven snapped, fist snapping into Erik’s elbow. The third hit was enough to dissipate the haze of primal need in Erik as he pulled his hands out from under Charles’ shirt, blinking furiously and shaking his head in an attempt to try and clear it.  
  
Charles released a distressed cry, hands becoming frantic as they grabbed at Erik. Erik snatched up his wrists while Raven shifted into an older, stockier version of herself. “Move.” She barked irritably, pushing past Erik to grab Charles’ around the stomach.  
  
“No!” Charles gasped, practically climbing over Raven to try and get back to Erik. Erik’s chest gave an agonizing palpitation and he cursed, bringing a palm up to rub at it as if he could soothe the ache away.  
  
“Erik!” Charles yelled, beating at Raven’s back and struggling as she shoved him in the car. Erik tried to control his breathing, covering his face and shaking his head.  
  
The resounding slap of Raven backhanding Charles was like a crack of gunfire. Erik’s head snapped up, seeing Raven back in her normal form, her hand still in the air. Charles had fallen silent, eyes wide and a palm over his cheek, looking utterly devastated.  
  
“Raven,” Charles choked, reaching out shakily for his sister. Raven held up her index finger, looking furious.  
  
“Charles. I love you, I’m so happy for you - and for Erik- but I can’t do this right now.” She climbed into the backseat with Charles and Erik hesitated before opening the driver’s door. Charles reached for his sister, but Raven pushed him away.  
  
“Its five in the morning, Charles. I’m tired, I want to go home. I never wanted to know this much about your sex life - so could you please, PLEASE control yourself?” Raven pleaded, moving to hold tightly to Charles’ shoulders. Charles ducked his head shamefully, only lifting it to watch Erik silently get into the car before looking at his little sister.  
  
“I’m sorry, Raven… I don’t… its so _hard_.” He said weakly, hugging himself. “It hurts not to touch him, I can… I feel him everywhere and I just want- “  
  
Raven held her hand up, shaking her head to let Charles know that she didn’t need him to go into details. Charles laughed pathetically, but it sounded more like a strangled sob, and Erik put the car back into drive.  
  
“I’ll stay back here. Don’t talk to him, talk to me, look at me okay?” Raven’s small blue hands grabbed Charles’ face, forcing him to look away from the back of Erik’s head and to lock his eyes with her bright yellow ones.  
  
Erik turned on the radio, cranking the volume up and rolling his window down all the way. He used one hand to pull back onto the highway, the other covering his mouth and nose with his elbow resting on the door.  
  
It took fifteen minutes for Erik to follow his instinctual map he’d weaned from Charles’ memories before he was pulling up to the large gates of Westchester. He gave them a quick push of his powers, wheels crunching over gravel as he eased on the gas until they were rolling up in front of the horrifically large Xavier Mansion. He continued on until they reached the garage around the side, pulling up the door with a flick of his powers and then closing it behind them once he was parked amidst a sea of other classic cars that temporarily distracted Erik from the pull of Charles being so close to him.  
  
Erik put the car in park, took the key out of the ignition, and clambered out of the car without a single look behind himself.  
  
“I’m going- ” Erik cut himself off, gasping when Charles released a burst of arousal that shot straight down his spine until it tingled somewhere near his tailbone. He cleared his throat, stepping towards the door and unlocking it with his powers. “To your- our… room.” He said softly, stepping inside of the house and using Charles’ memories to navigate his way through the winding halls. He opened Charles’ door, confused with the edge of familiarity to the teal curtains, green comforter, and dark mahogany furniture. It took him a moment to remember that he’d never actually been in this room before, yet Erik still took the time to run his hands over the edge of a collection of comic books and science magazines stacked on the dresser.  
  
He turned, stepping towards the bed and placing his hand on the post of the bottom frame, rubbing it over the expensive, polished wood.  
  
The door creaked open, and Erik turned around to see Charles standing in the frame, one hand on the knob and the other hanging limply at his side.  
  
Erik finally, _finally_ gave in to his impulses and lowered himself to his knees.

 

[x]

 

“Erik…” Charles said softly, his voice weak with an overflow of new emotions. He shut the door, the click of the lock echoing loud. Erik focused his gaze on the ground, heart fluttering in his chest as Charles approached. The feel of short, gentle fingers through his hair was like a shock of electricity through his nerves and Erik lifted his head to lock eyes with Charles.  
  
Charles stroked Erik’s scalp for a moment before his fingers twisted into the soft hair at the back of his head and stepped closer. Erik’s eyes fluttered, leaning into Charles’ space until his cheek was  pressed against the silk fabric of Charles’ pajama top. Charles took a slow, deep breath and Erik lifted his hands to rest them on his Alpha’s thin hips.  
  
“I’ve missed you,” Charles murmured, petting Erik’s neck. “My whole life.”  
  
Erik slid his hands around Charles’ back with a quiet noise, pushing his face into the soft stomach beneath his cheek and inhaling Charles’ scent. Charles bowed forward, hugging Erik’s head to himself tightly, nose buried amongst dirty blond locks. “I… me too,” he responded, voice muffled by Charles’ shirt.  
  
Charles pulled back, hands slipping to cup Erik’s jaw and pull his head up. “Would you sit on the bed, please?” He requested softly, blue eyes dark in the lamplight. Erik followed the upward guiding of Charles’ hands, allowing himself to be led backwards until his legs hit the bed. He sat heavily, dropping his hands from Charles’ hips as Charles knelt at his feet.  
  
“Charles…” Erik croaked. Charles shook his head, shushing him and lifting Erik’s right foot to set it on his knee.  
  
“Let me, please.” Charles breathed, looking up to smile at Erik with an affectionate glint in his eyes.  
  
Erik fell silent, eyes dropping in unspoken permission. Charles eased his fingers around the ankle of Erik’s black croc, tugging it off and setting it to the side. Erik sighed, toes wiggling reflexively in his sock from relief before Charles slipped it off without further adieu. Erik nearly jumped out of his skin when Charles not only dug his fingers into the aching sole of his foot, but pressed his lips against Erik’s big toe.  
  
“Charles,” Erik began to protest, but closed his mouth when Charles hushed him with a breath against the webbing connecting his big toe with the second one.  Charles massaged his foot firmly, soothing away the ache of standing on it all day, fingers gradually rubbing a path to Erik’s heel and the back of his ankle, cradling it. Erik squirmed, eyes going wide as Charles pressed his nose and lips to the sole of Erik’s foot, inhaling deeply.  
  
“Charles- I’ve been on my feet all day!” He cried softly, trying to tug his foot away. Charles held it firmly, head shaking.  
  
“Your smell is just stronger, here.” Charles breathed, head lifting to show blown pupils and flushed cheeks. Erik wanted to argue, but he could do nothing but gasp when he felt the first tendrils of their bond stirring - the connection a swirl of feelings it began to form.  
  
Charles dropped his head, mouth pressed into the arch of Erik’s foot and kissing it softly. Erik bit down on what wanted to be a whimper, toes curling as Charles massaged his lower calf and ghosted slow kisses up to the bone of his ankle, teeth scraping the knob gently. His breathing was low and deep, inhaling every inch of Erik’s skin with his lips making the final touch before migrating upwards until he was burying his face against the crease of Erik’s knee. Erik squirmed, body buzzing as Charles’ mind washed over his until he couldn’t tell which thoughts were his own.  
  
Charles pulled back, enough to crouch upwards and hook his fingers in the elastic waist of Erik’s scrubs. Erik’s gut fluttered, his hips lifting reflexively to allow Charles to slide his pants over his bottom and slowly down his thighs. Charles’ eyes locked on the thick, curving bulge in Erik’s boxer-briefs, tongue flitting out to wet his lips as he pulled Erik’s scrubs over his knees, freeing them from his one shoe and bare foot with a firm pull.  
  
“Wow,” Charles breathed, absently reaching for Erik’s other croc and removing it with the same delicate care he did with the first, setting both the sock and shoe with their partners. He returned, hands reaching out to press against the tops of Erik’s thighs, massaging the skin and then putting his palms on Erik’s hips to give him a gentle nudge.  
  
“Lie down?” Charles asked, eyes wide and dark. Erik, drunk on the haze of contentment coming from their bond as it formed, scooted back on the bed until he was lying with his head on the soft, goosefeather pillows.  
  
Charles stood, fingers fumbling with the buttons of his pajamas before he gave up and merely tugged it over his head. He was halfway to shoving his bottoms down his thighs when he seemed to turn shy and ducked his head until his hair was falling into his eyes.  
  
“I’m not…” Charles broke off, stepping out of his pajamas and hovering at the end of the bed in just his boxers. “Uhm, not like you, y’know…” Charles gestured to himself and Erik took the time to gaze upon his Alpha fully.  
  
 His teenage body was thin, void of most muscle definition with small pink nipples and  a fine curling of hair leading from his navel into his boxers. It was obvious he wasn’t done growing into adulthood; knees still a bit knobby and thin wrists leading into wide hands with nails that had been nervously gnawed down. Erik’s eyes trailed over the curve of an elegant neck to the narrow shoulders smattered with pale freckles that would turn a healthy brown if given enough sunlight.  
  
To Erik, he was beautiful.   
  
Charles eyes went wide, the red flush on his cheeks blossoming along his neck, all the way down to his chest. Erik knew, without a doubt, that Charles was picking up on the adoration and desire that he was feeling.  
  
Charles climbed onto the bed, crawling towards Erik until he was straddling the man’s shins. Erik reached up, grabbing Charles by the back of the head and pulling him forward until their lips were pressing openly together, breath mingling. Charles exhaled, groaning and biting his way into Erik’s mouth, tongue barely rubbing Erik’s teeth before darting back so he could suck his lower lip for a moment and then return to the kiss.  
  
Charles brought his hands just below Erik’s ribs, running up and then down before palming their way from his abdomen to his pectorals. He pulled back from the kiss, mouth wet with saliva, and pressed his face into the juncture of Erik’s neck and shoulder to breathe in deeply with a groan.  
  
Erik squirmed, body alight with tension and want - torn between his desire to pin Charles to the bed and drive him mad with pleasure, or to continue lying in contentment while Charles eagerly bit and sucked a hickey into his throat.  
  
“Mmnh, both good options,” Charles mumbled into Erik’s skin, fingertips wriggling under Erik’s shirt to ruck it up beneath his arms. “Up.” Erik’s arms rose obediently and Charles detached his mouth long enough to pull it off with a quick flick of his wrists, tossing it carelessly to the side. Erik shuddered, his bones tingling with every reverent thought that drifted into his mind from Charles’.  
  
“Honestly, Erik,” Charles huffed, sitting back on Erik’s legs and staring down at him with an intense, but irritated look. “I feel like you’re a bit out of my league.”  Charles bent down as he spoke, nose buried in the dip of Erik’s clavicle and happily taking in a long, heavy whiff of his scent. Erik scowled, arms lifting to rest on Charles’ shoulders as the teen kissed and sniffed a path between his pectorals, hands roaming to any neglected patch of skin they could find.  
  
“You’re  - ” Erik cut himself off in a struggle to find the right words while Charles snuffled his face against Erik’s navel with a happy noise. Erik stroked  his hands down Charles’ thin biceps, squirming the tiniest bit. “I’m not a good man. I’ve done- “  
  
“I know,” Charles kissed into the hair above Erik’s underwear, nuzzling his way to a narrow hipbone. Erik’s eyes fell to Charles’ bottom as it wriggled in the air while Charles nipped and sucked his skin, coaxing it into a purpling welt.  
  
“Then you know-“  
  
“That nothing you say will make me love you any less?” Charles interrupted airily, looking up at Erik through his bangs, affection and exasperated fondness curling through him from the forming bond. Erik shuddered, reaching up to brush Charles’ hair from his bangs tenderly while Charles eagerly pulled at the band of his boxer shorts.  
  
“Charles…” Erik rasped, watching Charles shift to lean his weight on either side of Erik’s body so that he could rock forward to silence Erik’s protests with a firm kiss.  
  
 _Erik, please stop doubting us. We are halves of a whole._ Charles voice echoed in Erik’s head, vibrating through his very core as Charles’ lips moved against his own, keeping Erik silenced.  
  
 _I’m sorry, I’m so, **so** sorry that you had to wait for me. Let me do this, let me make it up to you for taking so long to find you._  
  
Charles withdrew, his soft exhale across Erik’s mouth reminding Erik that he needed to breathe.  He did so with a gasp of Charles’ name, surging forward and digging his hands into Charles hair to drag his tiny Alpha down into a desperate kiss. Charles’ moan was swallowed by Erik’s lips as they sucked and pushed against Charles’ own with clacking teeth. Charles crawled forward, straddling Erik’s hips with a grind down against his cock, the rubbing slide of their underwear creating  burn of friction that had Erik growling low in his chest.  
  
 _Ohmygod,_ Charles proclaimed disbelievingly across their bond, waves of excitement and desire bursting through like a floodgate had been opened. Erik grunted, one hand dropping to snatch Charles’ by his small hips and sitting forward while twisting so that he could flip their positions. Keeping his other hand buried tightly in wild brown hair, Erik pinned Charles down onto the bed, rutting against him with a hard roll of his hips. Charles gasped out a cry of startled pleasure, head jerking back so quickly that Erik’s teeth bumped into his chin.  
  
Erik groaned, clenching his eyes shut and repeating the action. He moved to bury his face into Charles’ neck, nose digging into the skin just beneath the gentle curve of his jaw and breathing his scent in. It was dizzying, each inhale giving Erik’s body a tingling burst of euphoria until he was rubbing his face into Charles’ shoulder with zeal.  
  
Charles pawed at Erik’s boxer-briefs, hooking his hands around the back and pulling them over the contour of Erik’s ass. Erik made a throaty noise of contentment, shifting back so Charles could work the elastic band over his erection and hissing into Charles’ throat when his cock bounced free, hitting his stomach. Charles, face pressed into Erik’s temple, guided his boxers down to Erik’s thighs before Erik removed his hand from Charles’ hair to wriggle out of them with a lift and kick of his legs.  
  
“Are you going to stay there all night?” Charles laughed, squirming as Erik rumbled, nodded, and nipped his Adam’s apple.  
  
Charles ghosted his fingers over Erik’s tailbone, brushing a sensitive area over the top of his backside and making Erik buck his hips downward into Charles’. Charles retaliated by grabbing a palmful of Erik’s ass in each hand and pulling at the same time he thrust up into Erik’s body. Erik groaned, chest flaring as their bond sparked completely to life.  
  
“Bloodyfuck-!” Charles yelped breathlessly, whimpering and turning to kiss Erik’s temple and cheek. Erik’s hands scrambled for Charles’ boxers, practically tearing them off as he bit into the soft, smooth skin beneath his mouth. Charles stuttered on a whimper, hips lifting off the bed to help Erik’s endeavor to divest him of his underwear, fingers kneading into the flesh of Erik’s ass.  
  
Erik lowered his body down onto Charles, giddiness welling up in him at the feel of his Alpha’s small body caged beneath his own. He sucked the skin of Charles’ neck between his teeth, scraping and kneading before releasing it with a pop just so he could return to nuzzling Charles’ throat with a pant. Charles whined, squirming under Erik’s weight and crossing his ankles behind Erik’s knees.  
  
“Please tell me you feel bigger than you really are, otherwise that isn’t fair.” Charles gasped, rutting up so that their cocks slid together with a flare of pleasure. Erik huffed a laugh, fingers tangling themselves in Charles’ wild chestnut hair when he lifted his head to kiss Charles feverishly. Charles’ lips parted readily while his fingers slipped between the crevice of Erik’s bottom, teasing the outline of his entrance, gathering beads of moisture and smearing it around.  
  
“You’re wet,” Charles pointed out in amazement against Erik’s lips. Erik groaned, feeling himself flush in embarrassment. He pressed down into Charles’ body, reaching back to snatch his thin wrists and pin them to the bed.  
  
“Yes, Omegas tend to do that when they’re turned on.” Erik pointed out dryly, “Especially by their true Alpha.” He kissed Charles once, and then twice before pushing himself to sit back between Charles’ legs. Charles’ eyes went wide, locked on the thick curve of Erik’s erection like it was one of the seven wonders of the world. Erik self consciously wrapped a hand around the base of it, his other palm rubbing up and down Charles’ thigh soothingly.  
  
“Ohh-” Charles sat up, reaching out so his fingertips brushed the flushed head of Erik’s cock. Erik hissed, reflexively bucking forward into the touch and migrating his hand from Charles’ thigh to his shoulder.  
  
Charles looked up at Erik, eyes darkening with lust. Erik could feel the desire pulsing through their bond, sticking to his bones and making him shudder and hold back the urge to spread Charles open and fuck into him wildly. Charles seemed to pick up on this, because he scowled petulantly.  
  
“I wanted to top.” He protested, fisting Erik’s dick and giving it a cursory stroke. Erik’s thighs trembled and he shook his head in protest.  
  
“You’re still a virgin— I’m more experienced. I’ll make it good.” He argued. Charles scoffed, pumping Erik’s cock and clambering to his knees so he could try to reach around to Erik’s bottom.  
  
“You’re self-lubricating.” He palmed Erik’s ass for good measure.  
  
“You’re going to come prematurely.” Erik shot back, bucking back into Charles’ finger regardless when it teased his entrance. Charles gave him a dirty look, nail scraping against Erik’s hole as he rubbed up and down the crevice, spreading moisture.  
  
“I’m not going to be able to take your monstrous cock without at least a half hour of preparation, I guarantee you.”  
  
Erik’s face took on a pinched look and Charles grinned wickedly, knowing in an instant that he’d won.  
  
“Could you get on your stomach?” Charles asked sweetly. Erik curled his upper lip back in a mocking grin, leaning down to nip a kiss against Charles’ little red mouth before he crawled his way towards the head of the bed. A low noise of appreciation came from Charles, his soft palms running up Erik’s flank. Erik lowered himself to his elbows, cock twitching when Charles’ lips nipped at the base of his spine with a warm exhale of breath.  
  
“You look lovely, darling.” Charles murmured, groaning and biting Erik’s right asscheek. Erik hissed, jerking away and jumping in surprise when Charles grabbed his hips and dragged him right back. A gentle finger probed its way between his cheeks, the slick noise loud in the silence of the room. Erik buried his face into his arms, reflexively pressing back to try and coax that finger inside of him and take away the empty ache gnawing at him.  
  
“Charles…” Erik growled into the bend of his elbow, leaning back to chase the retreating hand. “Don’t fuck with foreplay right now.”  
  
Charles laughed softly, his voice on the edge of husky, and returned with two fingers wriggling their way inside of him at once. Erik wheezed, muscles fluttering against the intrusion before he could force himself to relax. A low noise of desire escaped Charles, his fingers scissoring and pumping into Erik as lust coursed through their bond like an aphrodisiac.  
  
Charles pressed a hand to the arch of Erik’s bottom, petting the quivering muscle as he curled and twisted his fingers. “Sorry, love. I’m afraid I may just be trying to delay the end.” Charles lips were moist and warm as they kissed the stretched red ring of Erik’s hole, making Erik bite down on a moan and clench around his fingers.  
  
Charles echoed his groan, a third finger sliding in to bend and wiggle until Erik was panting helplessly into the pillow. “Charles, please,” Erik rasped, eyes clenched tight and cock heavy between his legs. Charles’ fingers withdrew with a wet noise and Erik nearly jumped out of his skin when he abruptly felt the blunt head of Charles’ shaft easing the first few centimeters inside of him.  
  
“Ohgod…” Charles sobbed, palms falling to Erik’s sides and snapping his hips the tiniest bit -sliding that much further into Erik’s body. Erik tensed, toes curling and muscles clamping down on the thickness filling him, dragging a hiss from Charles.  
  
 ”Erik, oh- ohh, you’re so…nngh,” Charles bent forward, heaving chest pressing into Erik’s back as he slowly inched deeper until his hips were flush to Erik’s flank. Erik exhaled slowly, lifting one hand to grab his own hair tightly and releasing a soft whine that he would later swear never happened.  
  
“Charles, move.” Erik snapped, clamping tight and wrenching a whimper out of Charles.  
Charles pressed his forehead between Erik’s shoulder blades, nodding with a pant and giving  a shallow, experimental thrust. Erik grunted, mind reaching out for Charles’ as thin arms wrapped around his chest. He found himself cocooned in a fire of passion and kind, tender affection that was so unexpected he nearly whimpered before biting on his knuckle to stifle the sound.  
  
Charles’ mind flared at Erik’s reaction and, without warning, he was suddenly driving into Erik with enthusiastic fervor - smacking flesh echoing in the quiet bedroom. Erik reached a hand out to steady himself on the headboard, back arching and supporting the weight of Charles’ upper body as he rammed wildly into Erik’s impossibly tight heat.  
  
“T-touch,” Erik bit down on a grunt of pleasure, sparks flashing through his eyes and sending the bond snapping and coiling with pleasure so intense that Charles’ rhythm broke off into a stuttering undulation of his hips. Charles gasped, sliding his palm down to Erik’s cock to wrap his soft fingers around the head, twisting it up and down in frantic strokes.  
  
“I never thought - I could only… ohhh.” Charles broke off to suck in an unsteady pant of air, grinding inside of Erik before his rhythm shifted until he was leisurely fucking into Erik with one hand flicking up and down Erik’s cock. Charles dug his face into Erik’s back, breathing in his scent and flooding Erik’s mind with giddy, happy affection and heady pleasure.  
  
 ”I just… I want to stay inside of you.” Charles breathed, thrusting once and then following up with an agonizingly slow roll of his hips that brushed Erik’s prostate. Erik jerked, gasping and bringing one hand to clutch at Charles’ small palm wrapped around his chest.  
  
“Charles.” He growled, “If you don’t go faster, I’m going to make you.”  
  
Charles laughed into Erik’s skin, moaning and bucking right onto that spot so suddenly that Erik’s breath was stolen by the rush of pleasure that ricocheted up and down his spine.  
Charles sat upright, hands leaving Erik’s body to rest on his lower back and stroke up and down the trembling skin. “I’d like to see that.” He said, thrusting slowly into Erik now that he’d found the right angle. Erik, one hand against the headboard, shoved himself back onto Charles while reaching down to jerk himself.  
  
“Your bed frame is made of wood.” He rasped, “So this will have to do.”  
  
Charles groaned, legs shaking as Erik used a swaying motion to fuck himself back onto his Alpha’s cock.  His gentle, soft fingers stroked Erik’s back and sides before grabbing his ass and spreading him open.  
  
Charles moaned again, his mind brushing Erik’s. _You should see yourself, darling, stretching around me like this._  
  
Erik clenched tightly, squeezing his cock when Charles used his hands on Erik’s ass to coax himself deeper, thrusting more forcefully inside of Erik. Erik, nerves alight and tingling with a sea of emotions and sensations, dropped down onto an elbow and gasped into the pillows.  
  
One second, Charles was snapping his hips in tandem with the push and pull of Erik’s ass, and the next he was seizing up with a choked cry and digging his nails painfully into Erik’s skin. Erik had a half second to process a burning coil in his spine before Charles’ pleasure blindsided him and his vision blacked out with the intensity of it. He forgot to breathe, cock pulsing in his hand as he came against his will, body clenching down around Charles and wrenching a sob from the teen.  
  
It took almost an entire minute before Erik could process his surroundings. Charles was collapsed against his back - cock half sliding out of him - nuzzling and panting into Erik’s neck like a pleased puppy.  
  
“Charles….” Erik rasped, too weak to do much more than lay there. Charles hummed, snuffing and kissing behind Erik’s ear first before he pulled out completely and flopped to the side. It surprised Erik, before he registered that he could feel Charles inside of his head, nestled somewhere between his memory and his emotions.  
  
“Beautiful.” Charles murmured sleepily, scooting up to Erik until his gangly limbs were wrapping around Erik’s chest and thighs in an affectionate cling. Erik huffed, rolling to face Charles and returning the ridiculous embrace, lips crushed into Charles’ jaw and their sweaty skin sticking together.  
  
 _I never thought it could be like this._ Erik projected tentatively, tensing when Charles grinned into his throat and nipped his skin.  
  
 _I knew it would be like this with you - the second I felt you._ Charles’ hand stroked up and down Erik’s back gently, stubby nails scritching every now and then as Erik’s heart calmed and his breathing regulated. Charles inhaled deeply, near purring with delight and completely uncaring that Erik’s thigh and part of his ass was sitting in his own cum.  
  
 _Give me a moment, and I’ll show you my bathroom._ Charles lapped at the sweat pooling in Erik’s collarbone before peppering the skin with kisses. _Maybe have another go?_  
  
Erik laughed disbelievingly into Charles’ ear, still trying to get used to the idea that he could speak telepathically with his Alpha. Yes, bonds had a mental connection, but proper speech wasn’t a very common concept.

 _Erik, love, we’re not very common people, are we?_  
  
 _How are you still awake?_ Erik wondered. His own body was adjusted to working long shifts that sometimes bled into sunrise - but he knew the same couldn’t be said for his Alpha.  
  
 _I’m a teenager_. Charles retorted, as if it explained everything. It did, in a way, as Charles rutted up against to Erik, forcing both of them to hiss in pleasured pain from their oversensitive cocks brushing together.  
  
 _You’re going to be the death of me_. Erik groaned mentally, clutching Charles to his chest as if he feared that this connection, this safety, was going to disappear the second he fell asleep. Charles rumbled in contentment, rubbing his face against Erik’s neck and shoulder with soft sniffs and kisses interspersed.  
  
 _I’d like to think that I’m going to be the beginning of a better life for you. As you will be for me._ The thought was sent across with such blinding, unmitigated love that Erik’s eyes burned and his chest ached.  
  
It was a feeling that he was rather certain he’d never tire of.

**Author's Note:**

> *slinks off to bed*


End file.
